Getting very meta. Erinn Hayes has joined the second season of Kevin Can F**k Himself — after her previous firing from Kevin Can Wait.
The Childrens Hospital alum, 45, will appear in season 2 of the AMC dark comedy, which explores the rigid gender roles in typical American sitcoms. The series is not directly inspired by Kevin Can Wait, though the show’s title alludes to the former CBS series led by Kevin James.
Kevin Can Wait made headlines in 2017 when CBS announced that Hayes would not return for season 2 in her role as Donna Gable, wife of James’ character, Kevin Gable. Instead of having the characters divorce, however, the writers made the controversial decision to kill off Donna.
“True, I’ve been let go from the show,” the Huge in France alum tweeted in June 2017. “Very sad, I had a great experience season 1. Thank you for all the support from our wonderful fans.”
James, 57, later said that the move was made to keep the show running for more seasons. “The plot of the show didn’t have enough drive,” the Paul Blart: Mall Cop star told the New York Daily News in October 2017. “If we got through a second season, I wouldn’t see us getting through a third one. We were literally just running out of ideas.”
Leah Remini, who starred alongside James on King of Queens, replaced Hayes as the show’s female lead, but CBS canceled the series at the end of the second season. The network later admitted that viewers were not happy about Donna’s death.
“Creatively, the show made a choice at the beginning of last year,” Thom Sherman, CBS Entertainment senior executive vice president, said during CBS Upfronts in May 2018. “We agreed to go along with it, and unfortunately, the audience didn’t respond to it.”
When Kevin Can F**k Himself, which stars Annie Murphy, was announced later that year, Hayes had a telling reaction to the news. “Omg. 
,” she tweeted in November 2018, responding to a story about the AMC series.
The comedian later told Vulture that she would love to participate in Kevin Can F**k Himself if the opportunity presented itself. “If there’s any way I could do that part, I’d love to,” she said in January 2020. “The part they’ve written is so full and so interesting. They just did a great job, and I’m excited to see how the show turns out whether or not I ever get a chance to read for it or be a part of it in any way.”
